Foggy Birding.

Last Friday I took a break from wielding the paintbrush and paid a very early morning visit to Tices Meadows. During my drive south-westwards across the county the dawn sunshine at home soon changed to patches of fog and on arrival it was obvious that the meadows where almost totally shrouded in a foggy blanket.
Fortunately there was compensation as I walked into this site from the varied bird song including Blackbird, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Wren, Robin, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Nightingale.

Just above a dense patch of scrub where a hidden Nightingale was singing a male Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) perched nearby and repeatedly sang.

With little to see on the water through the fog I strolled slowly along a track between the reed beds and a male Sparrowhawk jinked through the sallows and when I turned around it was perched on a fence post. As you can see the conditions weren't particularly conducive for getting any quality images so just a record shot! 

Nearby I listened to my first Reed Warbler of the year and then spotted the male being joined by a potential partner and the singing abruptly stopped as the pair disappeared deep into the reeds together. A little further on I also heard the scratchy songs of at least two Sedge Warblers. Eventually some of the fog dissipated enabling me to add two Little Ringed Plover and House Martin to my year and county lists.

When I retraced my route back towards the car I watched several Common Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) managed to get within reach of the lens.

Once again I stopped close to the spot where I had earlier heard a Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and eventually one popped into the open and sang its beautiful verses. Not the sharpest of images but it will do for the time being!

All in all, a very interesting morning despite the foggy conditions. FAB.

Linking to Nature Notes and Wild Bird Wednesday.